Lebanon - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Lebanon

Lebanon

July 4, 2026

Beirut 12:46 am

25°C

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

The court stands at the start of the first hearing at the International Court of Justice in which Myanmar is accused of committing genocide against the country's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, in the Hague on January 12, 2026. The Gambia filed the genocide case in cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2019. Myanmar's military deliberately targeted the Rohingya minority in a bid to destroy the community, Gambia's Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told the International Court of Justice Mond

Explainer

Does provision 13 of Lebanon-Israel deal bar Beirut from pursuing war crimes claims?

Part of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement has led to calls for Beirut to grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction in Lebanon or sign the Rome Treaty to allow prosecutions.

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

When asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Syria’s foreign minister indicated that it would not rule out such a meeting.

An activist takes part in a demonstration against sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence in the Lebanese capital Beirut on December 7, 2019. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Lebanon arrests man after video of public assault on wife goes viral

The man seen violently beating a woman at a restaurant has been arrested, but the incident has reignited debate over domestic violence amid warnings that such abuse can increase during periods of war.

Latest News

Analysis

For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild

Shia Muslim devotees gather for a mourning ritual near the shrine of Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who was killed in a 2024 Israeli-airstrike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 26, 2026 at the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Hanna Davis

In Beirut, reporting on politics, migration, human rights

Rodayna Raydan

In Boqaata, reporting on culture

Lebanese army soldiers are seen through a shattered car window as they secure the area near a mosque complex, where hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir was believed to be sheltering with his supporters, in Abra near Sidon, southern Lebanon, June 25, 2013. The Lebanese government will try on Tuesday to secure the country after the deadliest violence since the start of a two-year conflict in neighbouring Syria that has pushed Lebanon's myriad militia to clashes.Gunfights between the army and Sunni Mus

Sidon: another Lebanese flashpoint

Following incidents in Tripoli and Arsal, members of a terrorist cell in Sidon, the capital of the Lebanese south, were arrested by the Lebanese army, thus foiling another attempt to escalate the security situation.

Police forces gather outside the parliament building in Downtown Beirut November 5, 2014. Lebanon's parliament extended its own mandate until 2017 on Wednesday, a move protesters camped outside and rights groups say denies citizens their democratic privileges. Lebanese politics has become deadlocked amid security concerns resulting from Syria's civil war next door. Parties supporting the extension bill say the security situation is too unstable to hold elections. This would be the second postponement of the

Lebanon's parliamentary reboot puts rivals on the same side

As Lebanese lawmakers vote to extend their own mandate for a second time, opposition groups find themselves on the same side.

Lebanese activists dressed as politicians carry plastic bags with their heads covered in stockings during a demonstration against the extension of parliament, near the parliament building in downtown Beirut October 1, 2014. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR48HVC

Lebanon’s MPs extend own terms

The recent decision of the Lebanese parliament to extend its term for another 31 months, without holding elections, might be a step to put the country under foreign tutelage.

A Palestinian refugee boy from Syria plays with a tyre as another boy walks past tents at Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near the port-city of Sidon, southern Lebanon October 8, 2013. International donors must do more to help Lebanon absorb a flood of refugees straining its schools and public services, the head of the United Nations children's fund UNICEF said. Picture taken October 8, 2013. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX14YGG

Palestinian-Syrian refugees face hardship in Lebanon

About 60,000 Palestinian-Syrians have fled to Lebanon, but many are finding that they cannot work and cannot afford food and housing.

A general view shows what activists said is the area of Aleppo controlled by the Syrian Regime April 26, 2014. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hebbo (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3MQN6

Syrian official: negotiations with US blocked by Saudi Arabia

A Syrian official spoke on the continued gains of the Syrian army, the failings of the international coalition and chances of talks between the opposing parties.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim shakes hands with Lebanon's Minister of Economy and Trade Allan Hakim (L) upon his arrival at Beirut international airport June 2, 2014. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR3RVNB

Remittances key for Lebanon’s economy

In economically and politically stagnant Lebanon, expatriate remittances provide a relatively steady inflow of hard currency and serve as a social safety net and cushion.

Lebanese Army soldiers and relatives of Druze soldier Khaldoon Raouf Hamoud carry his coffin during his funeral in Akbeh, Rashaya August 3, 2014. Lebanese soldiers traded fire with Islamist gunmen and shelled areas around the border town of Arsal on Sunday in a push to dislodge the biggest incursion by militants into Lebanon since Syria's civil war began. At least 10 Lebanese soldiers have died in the fighting, which erupted after Islamist gunmen seized a local police station on Saturday in response to the

Lebanon's Druze fear IS, Hezbollah

The Druze in Lebanon are preparing to defend themselves against a possible attack by the Islamic State, in light of their shaky trust in Hezbollah.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (L) looks past his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu during the opening of a ministerial meeting in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on May 13, 2013. The OIC urged its member states to make generous contributions at this week's main donors conference on Mali to be held in Brussels, which aims to raise funds to repair the damage caused by the war against Islamists in the African country. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo

Slow progress in Saudi-Iranian ties

Although Saudi and Iranian officials have cemented talks in recent months, this is not significant enough to alter ties between the two foes.

Lebanese army soldiers secure the area near Duroy hotel following a bomb attack in Raouche, in western Beirut June 25, 2014. A suicide bomber killed himself and wounded several security officers at the hotel in Beirut close to the Saudi Arabian embassy on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources said. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR3VQDL

Dane in Lebanon arrested for being alleged IS fighter

Araby Ibrahim, a Lebanese man holding a Danish passport, was arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of fighting alongside the Islamic State in Syria.

A view shows a part of the al-Dukhaneya neighborhood near Damascus after soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad took control of it from rebel fighters, October 6, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE.

Will European ambassadors return to Syria?

According to one Syrian official, European ambassadors might be returning to resume their functions in Syria, as the West has started to realize that the Syrian army is the only one able to fight terrorism.

A Lebanese army soldier sits atop an army vehicle at the entrance of the Sunni Muslim border town of Arsal, in eastern Bekaa Valley, as smoke rises during clashes between Lebanese army soldiers and Islamist militants August 4, 2014. The Lebanese army advanced into a border town that was attacked by Islamists in an incursion from Syria at the weekend, finding the bodies of 50 militants, a Lebanese security official said. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY TPX IMAGE

Islamic State sets sights on sea in Lebanon

The Islamic State has hopes of connecting with the sea, but to achieve this it must go through Lebanon, which will be a tough fight.

A Lebanese soldier uses a pair of binoculars in the Shebaa area of southern Lebanon, as he looks towards an Israeli position near the border with Israel October 8, 2014. An attack by Hezbollah on Lebanon's border with Israel which wounded two Israeli soldiers was a message that the group remained ready to confront its old foe despite its engagement in Syria's civil war, the group's deputy leader said. The soldiers were wounded by a bomb planted by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in the Shebaa hills, drawing Isr

Concerns rise in Lebanon as another soldier defects

A handful of soldiers have defected from the Lebanese army to join Jabhat al-Nusra, which has caused concern among the Lebanese that it might become a trend.